ITF Responds to Federer’s Doping Comments

5 November, 2012

The ITF today responded to World No. 2 Roger Federer’sremarks about their doping control regime at the World Tour Finals in London.

“I feel I’m being less tested now than six, seven, eight years ago,” Federertold The Telegraph. “I don’t know the reasons we are being tested less and I agree with Andy, we don’t do a lot of blood testing during the year. I just think it’s important to have enough tests out there. I don’t like it when I’m only getting tested whatever number it is, which I don’t think is enough or sufficient during the year.”

The ITF’s Stuart Miller, who is in charge of the federation’s doping program, responded via email to Drop Shot Dispatch as follows:

“As far as the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) is concerned, the statistics don’t support the suggestion that there is less testing, in that Roger Federer was tested an average of 8 times per year from 2004-2006, 11 times per year from 2007-2009, and 9 times per year in 2010-2012 (testing in 2012 is incomplete, so this number may change slightly).The number of tests conducted on tennis players by National Anti-Doping Organisations is not known, and it’s possible that such testing may have been more frequent in the past.”

“In regard to blood testing, changes to the test distribution plan are continually being made (for reasons that must remain confidential). However, the number of blood samples collected under the TADP is expected to rise in 2012.”

Update:

Miller explains his earlier remarks about testing further.

“The expected increase in 2012 blood samples over 2011 is anticipated to be due to more Out-of-Competition testing,” he said.